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Government ‘cut 100,000 from jobless figures’

Around 100,000 older jobseekers have been airbrushed out of Germany’s unemployment figures, opposition politicians say – denting claims that the country’s labour situation is the economy’s saving grace.

Published: 31 December 2011 11:49 CET

Government 'cut 100,000 from jobless figures'

Photo: DPA

Low unemployment numbers are widely being held up as evidence that the German economy is not struggling as much as that of its neighbours, with Chancellor Angela Merkel mentioning it in her New Year’s address.

But a row has blown up over older jobseekers no longer included in unemployment statistics.

The Süddeutsche Zeitung newspaper reported on the missing 100,000 jobseekers on Friday, prompting Green politicians to accuse the government of tweaking the numbers.

The paper said the government had admitted that those over 58 who were receiving the lowest unemployment benefits, known as Hartz IV, were struck from jobless statistics if they had been on that support for a year or more, without having been offered a proper job. That rule has been in place since 2009, the paper said.

The government admitted that its November 2011 figure of 275,400 unemployed people between the ages of 55 and 65 would be pushed up to 380,000 if those people were included. The “missing” people would bring the percentage of Hartz IV recipients aged between 55 and 65 from 14.2 percent to 18.6 percent, the government said.

But the Labour Ministry said there was nothing tricky about the figures, saying in a statement, “The method of statistics gathering is not decisive; rather that older people remain in work and can quickly get back into work.”

It said that the people concerned were not missing from statistics but were included in the section labelled “under employment”.

DPA/The Local/hc

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Which Bavaria-based companies regularly hire English speakers?

Munich ranks third in German cities with the highest total GDP, behind Berlin and Hamburg, but in terms of GDP per capita, it’s higher than both of them.

It also consistently ranks high, often highest, in terms of average household income.

As of 2023, nine of the 40 companies listed on DAX, Germany’s stock index, were based in Bavaria. Seven of those are based specifically in Munich.

While Frankfurt is commonly known to be Germany’s business capital, Munich can claim the title of Germany’s insurance capital, which is saying something, as Germany is home to some of the largest insurance firms in the world, like Allianz.

Beyond the state’s capital city, a number of international companies are based elsewhere in Bavaria, particularly in the Franken region, near Nuremberg.

Which companies actively hire English speakers?

Bavaria, and Munich in particular, is home to a number of companies at the forefront of international business. But the state is known for its traditional, sometimes conservative, culture, which affects its business culture as well.

Whereas companies embracing English as their primary business language are easy to find in Berlin, the practice is less common in the south. That said, there are some notable exceptions.

Sportswear giants, Adidas and Puma, both have their headquarters near Nuremberg in Herzogenaurach, and regularly recruit English speaking international talent.

“As an international company, our teams reflect the rich diversity of our consumers and communities,” Jon Greenhalgh, Senior Manager Media Relations for Adidas told The Local. “Fostering a culture of inclusion where we value and leverage differences, ensures that we can authentically engage with our employees and truly connect with our consumers.”

He added that around 40 per cent of Adidas’ Germany-based employees are foreign nationals, from over 100 different countries.

Siemens and BMW rank among Bavaria’s top employers, and are also known to hire their fair share of foreigners.

“In Germany, we recently had around 2,000 open positions,” Konstanze Somborn told The Local on behalf of Siemens AG.

He added that Siemens operates in 190 countries. “That is why we value international teams very much…English as a common language is very usual.”

READ ALSO: ‘Which German companies want to hire foreigners?’

Similarly, BMW hires workers from a variety of backgrounds.

“Every year, we hire lots of internationals and welcome them to the BMW Group,” Dr. Hans-Peter Ketterl, a press spokesman for BMW Group told The Local.

But not all of these positions are available to non-German speakers.

Ketterl added that BMW’s working language is German in the country, even though, “English is an indispensable entry requirement as the second corporate language in many areas of the company.”

Check job boards and follow best practices

If it’s your first time applying for jobs in Germany, make sure to change your resume to the German format, even for English positions.

While Germany is home to its own job boards, like Xing, LinkedIn is probably the best place to start. In addition to searching for positions based in your preferred location, you can check relevant groups, like Munich Startups, to broaden your horizons.

The English Jobs in Germany website is also a good resource to start with.

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